Metabolic syndrome refers to a clustering of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors within a single individual. The established risk factor such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and other emerging risk factors are closely related to intra-abdominal adiposity. Insulin resistance is also considered to be an important factor in the aetiology of this syndrome. The emerging risk factors include dysfunction of inflammation, coagulation, platelets, fibrinolysis, lipoproteins, endothelium, and other biological processes. Despite the potential utility of having all the CV risk factors under one umbrella term, debate continues about the very existence of the metabolic syndrome and its diagnostic criteria. Nevertheless, the component risk factors include some of the most common and serious public health challenges facing the developed and developing world today. By treating component risk factors, many existing therapies and new drugs in development target several aspects of metabolic syndrome. However, no drug is currently approved specifically for treatment of the metabolic syndrome.
The essential features of the metabolic syndrome, and some of the challenges in developing treatment options are discussed herein.
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